Innocents of the night
by midnight-writer97
Summary: Not all is well in Mystic Falls. Elena is at odds with mostly everybody. One night she hears some strange sounds coming from the woods and decides to search for the source of the sounds. -Mostly all residents have an apearment, but then will mostly be OCC's and Elena.-
1. Chapter 1

-**Disclaimer- I don't own TVD or any of its characters. The only characters I own are my OCC's. In this story, Elena isn't like in the TV show or in the books. I decided to change her a bit, because in the show she sometimes gets on my nerves. In this story Jeremy is far away, somewhere in Canada. Alaric is dead and she's at odds with Bonnie, Stefan and a bit with Damon. So enjoy this first chapter. I will write a second chapter, but I would like to get some ideas or thoughts from all of you... I hope you enjoy reading this story, please review.**

_*Prologue*_

_It was a Tuesday evening and the 'gang' decided to meet at the Grill for dinner. The dinner went at first quite well; we laughed a bit and just talked. Then Caroline and Stefan went to play pool and Damon went to get a 'snack'. After some seconds of silence Bonnie started a conversation with me. "You, know Elena, it's really good to see you smiling after that entire thing. Now that it is finished and all, maybe you could find a good boyfriend? Maybe one that isn't a Vampire..." "Bonnie! It isn't over! Don't you see it; it's like the calm before a storm! And plus there are Vampires at this table! Caroline, Stefan and Damon, all are Vampires! Plus I'm not fine, don't you see it?" "Come on Elena..." "What, Bonnie? You know, sometimes I'm wondering why we're still friends." "You, know what E-L-E-N-A? ME TOO!" Then she stormed away, just as Damon got back to the table. "Hey, what's gotten into witchy?" "Don't know, maybe it's her time of the month? It's just… she said, I should fine myself a friend, actually a boyfriend which isn't a Vampire and that she was happy I was fine.." "Ah... she said that? Well, it sure could help." "Damon please… just stops." "What, you don't know how to laugh anymore?" "Damon! No, I'm just tired." "Sure, that's what you're always saying. Every time we get to the theme of your romantic interests you, block! And you know, it's getting old." I was quite surprised at this turning in our conversation, but I had to think about it a bit. It was true, that I didn't like to talk about my relations, but I don't see the problem in it. "She said, she was glad everything was finished. But I don't think so... I think it is too calm." "Yeah, I think so too. Maybe you should go out these days to much. We never know." "What do you mean with that? That I should stay in the house all day and never leave it?" "Well, this certainly would be easier to protect you." "Damon, you know it isn't necessary to protect me. I can do that on my own." "No, you can't! Why, do we always have to discuss that? You NEED protection!" "You know what? No! Leave me!" Then I stormed out of the grill, I know it was a bit childish, but come on! This gets just ridiculous! _

_Later in the evening I got a call from Stefan, first I didn't want to answer it, but then I just did. "Yes, Stefan?" "Elena? What's the matter with Damon, Bonnie and you?" "What? It's now my fault that I don't want that everybody, except me, decides about MY life?" "No, but we are concerned too! Stop being childish! You know that, we just want to keep you safe!" "I understand that! But you're suffocating me! All of you! I need space, I need liberties!" "You know what, and then you'll get some 'liberty'! It's done we, all of us, are done helping you!" "Fine!" "Fine!" And I hung up. Why is just everybody so angry, that I want space? _

_*End of Prologue*_

It was summer in Mystic Falls and the nights were painfully hot. Since some days I couldn't sleep well at night, sometimes I woke up screaming, sometimes I just couldn't sleep at all. Like tonight, for a long time I tried to sleep, but I just couldn't. Nobody else was in the house, except for me. Since Alaric moved out, before he died, I felt really uncomfortable in my own house. It was as if I didn't belong here anymore. After a while I just gave up and got up, walked to my window and opened it. I sat for a little while there and looked outside. All I could think of was that it looked really peaceful. I was enjoying the little breeze, when I heard a strange sound coming from the forest. It wasn't really loud, so I was astonished that I could hear it. Normally I would have closed the window right away and would've gone to bed sending Damon or Stefan a text, but since I wasn't exactly in speaking terms with them anymore, I didn't and also I kind of felt as if tonight I had to see for myself from where and what that sound came. So I took my rain boots and took a coat, and sneaked out of the house. I run to the forest and tried to listen for that sound. But I heard none; I decided to just walk into the forest. About 15 minutes later I heard it again. It was like a cry and something else, what could it be? It took me about 6-8 minutes to get to the strange sounds. The nearer I got, the clearer I could identify the cries of a baby. The other sound was still strange, I thought I knew it from somewhere but I wasn't sure. About 5-10 meters away, I heard two male voices. I couldn't see their faces, because they had their backs to me, but I could see a blue bundle laying some meters away from me. At first I thought it was just a plastic bag, but then I saw it move and it was then that I realized it was a baby. I suspected it was a boy, because most people dress their boys in blue and girls in pink. I made sure to be quiet, and tried to walk a bit forward. I could take some steps, but then a branch crack under my weight and I just had time du dunk behind a big rock, which had bushes all around. Through the bushes I could see the two men turning around; as they turned around I could see one of the most horrible sights. There on the floor was….


	2. Chapter 2

**-Disclaimer- I don't own TVD or any of its characters. I only own my OCC's. I hope you liked my first chapter of 'Innocents of the night'; I'll appreciate if you could send me some ideas or thoughts, and how you would like to see this story turning. I hope you'll enjoy reading the next chapter and please review. **

_Through the bushes I could see the two men turning around; as they turned around I could see one of the most horrible sights. There on the floor was…._

They're lying on the floor was the corpse of a young woman with black hair. She was wearing a red dress, but you could see that at one point it used to be white. There was blood everywhere and only now I could see what that strange sound was. Only to think about it made my stomach turn and I had a hard time not to vomit. But then they started to walk in my direction, I tried to be really silent. Behind me there was a little hill and they just passed me, as soon as they were over the small hill, I run to the baby took it and started to run. Unfortunately I tripped and that caused the baby to cry. When I looked back, I could see them and they saw me. They started to run in my direction. I got up as fast as I could and started to run. I ran and ran, soon I couldn't hear them anymore, but I knew that I couldn't stop running. After what seemed like an eternity, I could see a road in front of me. At first I didn't know that road, but then I remembered that it was the one going to Mystic Falls. Thankfully for me the baby seemed to have fallen asleep in my arms. After about another 15 minutes I was back in Mystic Falls, once there I went as fast as possible to my house. But in the middle of the street I saw the two men again. I felt so stupid to lead them into town. I should have thought before acting! So I went into the shadows and continued my way back home. There nobody was at home. I quickly walked up to my room and started packing. I couldn't stay, in a town with two murders on the loose, which were searching me. When I nearly finished packing, the house phone started ringing. I quickly went to get it, so the baby would wake up. "Hello?" "Mrs. Gilbert?" "Yes, who are you?" "Mrs. I'm agent Stoward from the APS, the American Protection Services. Are you at home?" "The APS? Yes, I'm at home. Why?" "Stay inside and don't phone anyone. We're on our way."

*30 minutes later*

Before that the APS arrived I took a closer look on the baby. He had a blonde hair and blue eyes. Then I found a bracelet around his feet. Normally these kinds of bracelet, a golden one, were to wear on the wrist, but apparently it was too big for his wrist. On the backside of the wrist, there was a name. If I could believe what was written, his name would be 'Ryan'. Ryan slowly woke up; he didn't seem to be frightened. He gave me big teeth less smile and wanted to take my outstretched finger. I took him down to the kitchen and warmed up some milk, I figured he would be hungry after everything and he was. Soon after he finished, I heard the doorbell ringing. I went to open it, but first I looked through the spy, to make sure it wasn't the murders. When I saw, that it wasn't them I opened the door, there were 4 agents. "Good evening, Mrs. May we come in?" "Yes, come in." I walked them to the living room and got them something to drink. "I'm agent Wood, these are the agents Jameson, Delfons and Chandlers. Mrs. You're maybe wondering why we called you." "Actually, yes." "You have to know, that we were spying on the two guys, you've seen. Unfortunately they were able to escape us, before they did; they said that they would kill somebody else as revenge." "What do you mean by escape?" "They are searched murders. They already killed allot. They sent us a picture of the woman they wanted to kill, we tried to reach her, but since she had a drug problem, she thought we wanted to arrest her. So she hid herself from us, but not before we had the chance to put a GPS on her son. The baby you're holding. We then saw that she, or better her baby was in the woods near here. But we came too late and we could only see them running away behind you. We figured that since it wasn't your baby, that you recued it from the two men. Thinking that they want to kill you is stupid, because we are sure of it." That was a lot to take in; I figured that they would want revenge, but that...certainly not. "Okay, what does that mean? Do I get a protection? Or how does that work?" "That means ….you need to leave, Madame. You need to leave as soon as possible!" "Leave? No, no, no! Why? Can't I just stay here?" Why, do I always have to leave? That's so unfair! "Mrs. Gilbert. We can't provide your security here. They'll try to kill you all the time. You need to get a new identity and to move to a different state. They're extremely dangerous; with leaving you provide the security of your loved once. But there's a thing…" "What thing? Please tell me everything!" "Okay, if you wish. Your family isn't allowed to know anything. This is for the baby's and your security, but also for your family. The other thing is more complicated. We'll have to...simulate your death." "WHAT? You're kidding right?" That can't be possible! Why? "No, we're serious. If your family believes your dead, then will the murders too. That will mean, that they won't look for you and that's an important thing. Then you'll be able to start a new live in another state." This isn't that wrong. It's true that, if I'm dead, they won't go after Jer or the others. "Okay, let's assume I'm accepting your offer. Where would I go? And what would be my 'fake death'?" "For your location we don't exactly know now. We have to open the envelope that we prepared for you and that is only authorized to be opened if the person in danger accepts. But for your death would be something like a car crash, but it should be something, where your family can't personally identify your body. So it would more be in the direction of car crash with a fire, where of course we bring our own services to 'identify' it. And then we'll organize ashes, or a corpse, to put into a casket or urn." Wow, that's really heavy work that they would do. "I've got one question. How long have I got to decide?" "Not long. Best would be if you could decide in the next 20 minutes or so." "Okay. Oh, and what's with the baby? Is he in danger too?" "Yes, unfortunately. We would've to place him in a trusted family or an orphanage in another state of course. But the best would be if you'd take him, but you really don't have to. You can decide, but of course only if you leave." Leave that little angel alone? Can I do that? "You know what. I'm coming. It would only be selfish if I would stay, only because I don't want to leave. And I'll take Ryan, the baby, with me." "Good, so you're coming. Jameson, could you give me the envelope?" The agent Jameson gave him the envelope and the agent Wood opened and read it. Then he turned back to me and said." Okay, Mrs. Elena... Your new name is…."

**Thank you for reading the second chapter of 'innocents of the night'. I hope you liked it and I'm open for any thought or wishes concerning my stories. I'll try to write the next chapter as soon as possible.**


	3. Chapter 3

**-Disclaimer- I don't own TVD or any of its characters. I only own my OCC's. I hope you liked my last chapter and that you like this chapter as well. Enjoy and review. Thanks.**

_*Last chapter*_

_The agent Jameson gave him the envelope and the agent Wood opened and read it. Then he turned back to me and said." Okay, Mrs. Elena... Your new name is…."_

_*End of last chapter*_

I was wondering what my new name would be. New name, new live. It seemed as if the agent took year to say it, but I only had to wait some seconds. "Your new name is Alexis Fordman. Since you accepted to take the baby with you, we'll organize everything to put him as your son. Will you keep his first name? Ryan it was, right?" "Yes, I'll keep his name. He has a right to keep it. And where is my new home?" "It would be a near New York. It's a middle sized town called Lane. You'll leave in a house on Founding Street 12." What an irony. Here I'm part of the Founding Families and there I'll life on a Founding Street. "Near New York, you said? Wow, I always wanted to go one time there. When will I move?" "Best would be if you could get all your staff ready for in 1-2 hours. But it would go too, for tomorrow early evening. Because it would arrange us if, I you could have your little accident at night." "Sure, actually I've already packet. " "Why?" "Well, I wanted to run away. Because I didn't want them to find me, so I started packing." "That's really convenient, but we need to see what you took. You can't take too personal stuff with you, which were exposed in your house or especially your room. It's only so that your family doesn't remark the changes." What? Oh no… God, this is really harder than I thought. "My suitcases are upstairs, you can go check them. If you don't mind, I really need to get a coffee."

***15 minutes later* **

"Mrs. Gilbert everything is checked and okay. We could leave now." "So soon? O...okay. I'm coming with you right? Sorry, but I'm still confused and everything." "No problem. Yes, you and the baby are coming with us now. We organized a hotel room, the flight is only leaving tomorrow early morning, and there we brought some clothes and other stuff, which you may need for the child." "Thank you, really. Thank you very much."

***Some where near an airport, in a hotel room***

"Mrs. Fordman, from now on we need to call you Mrs. Fordman, that's your room. The agent Jameson and I will stay in the room next door. We're coming tomorrow with you to New York. If you need anything, just knock on the door." "Thank you and please call me by my first name, Alexis it was, right?" "Yes, Alexis is right. Good then... Alexis... Goodnight. Sleep well." "Thank you." I'll never get used to my new name. I only hope that I won't meet someone I know, or everything will be for nothing. Ryan was now awake again, I went to get him and he started playing with my hair, which had fallen over my shoulder unto his face. He seemed to by tired, but also happy. I wonder how he could be happy with everything that happened. But the answer came fast, he's too young, he doesn't know what's happening. Sometimes I really wish, to be a little child again.

***Next evening. They just arrived at New York* **

"Alexis, Welcome to New York! We'll have take now a car to your new residence. Where's Lou? Ah, here he is." Lou was apparently our driver. He looked quite young. He had black hair, like Damon. Damon? No, I'm done with them. They told me so! I really should stop thinking about them. "How long will the drive take?" "Well, if there isn't much traffic, about 30 minutes or 40. But if there is traffic, it can be way longer. Last time I went to your new house, I had to go check it, there was lot traffic and it took me 2 hours!" Great, just great. I hope, this won't go to long.

***50 minutes later***

I was having a really nice dream, when somebody shook me. "W…what?" "We're here. Welcome at your new home." I took a closer look of my surroundings; the car was parked outside of a nice house. It was white and had a little front garden. The house had two floors and an attached garage. "Is this really my new house?" "Yes. It isn't to your liking?" "No! It's beautiful, I love it! Can…can we go inside?" "Of course! We even had time to get a little room ready for the baby." They let me trough the house, until we stood in front of a door, which had a little blue fish on it. Agent Stoward than opened the door. The room itself wasn't big, but it had the perfect seize for a young child. It was painted in a beautiful blue and in the middle of the room, was a little white and blue crib for Ryan. Over the crib was a mobile with stars, a moon and some cute fishes. In the left corner of the room was a closet, which matched the room and in the right corner next to the window was a place where I could change Ryan. All around the room were stuffed animals and on the walls were nice pictures. "Wow, that's a beautiful room. It's all so cute and just perfect." "And you haven't seen in the closet. There are even more stuffed animals and allot of clothes." More animals? I couldn't believe that, but when I opened the doors of the closet, I was met by tons of bears, some elephants and some birds. The agent was right; they were a lot of clothes too. "That's just incredible. I'll just put him into his new crib, so that we can talk downstairs and let him sleep."

"Okay, that's all nice and everything, but I still have some questions. The first one, am I authorized to have a mobile phone?" "Of course, why wouldn't you?" "Don't know, just passed my mind. Second, do I have to get a job? And when yes, what will I do with Ryan? I've never took care of a baby before." "Okay, slow down. Yes, it would be good if you took a job. This would help you to integrate and it would of course help your finances. With the looking after Ryan, we already organized something. We have here; she lives about two houses away, a very trusted person. She's an ancient agent of our services, she'll come tomorrow to say hello. Anything else?" "Yes, what's her name?" "Oh, silly me! Her name is Judith de Flora. You'll see, she's a very nice person and she loves kids." "Great, thank you. Thank you for everything." "You're welcome, just before I leave, on speed dial 1 is 911 and on the two are our services. If you should see the two men, even if they didn't see you, call right away! Don't wait, because this could be fatal!" "I will. Good evening." "Bye." When the door was closed, I finally had time to look through the house. In the living room, there were some really comfortable couches and a big TV. There even was a quite big library, with a lot of books. The next room was the kitchen, it was quite modern. On the first floor there were some other rooms, but I decided to go and find my room. It didn't take me long; it was at the end of the hallway. There was a queen sized bed in the middle of the room and two doors. One let to the bathroom and the other to a little walk in closet. I wanted to investigate further, but the doorbell rang. At first I didn't want to go open the door, but as the ringing continued I was afraid that it could wake Ryan.

At the door was an older woman, two middle aged women and a guy. They all looked friendly, but with me experience I had to learn, that not everybody who looks friendly is friendly. "Hi, my name is Marge, I'm your neighbor. My house is the one left from you." She had a nice voice, which remembered me of a loving grand-mother. She pointed with a lot of proud to her house. It looked a bit like mine, but she had a nicer front garden. "This is Julia, she lives across from you. That's Laura, she lives next to Julia. And the lovely man next to all of us is John. He's my nephew and is living with me at the moment. We just stopped by to say hi and welcome to Lane." "Oh, that's really nice. Of all of you. My name is… Alexis, Alexis Fordman. Do you want to come in?" "We don't want to disturb you. " "No, it's fine really. I was just going to make some coffee, do you want some?" "Then yes, yes please." I quickly made my way to the kitchen and started the coffee machine. Then I walked them to the living room. As soon the coffee was finished and served, Ryan decided to make his presence known with crying. "I'm so sorry. I'm right back."

When I came back with Ryan in my arm everyone's eyes seemed to burst out. "Is that your son, Alexis?" asked me Marge. "Uh... yes, he is. His name is Ryan." "He's so cute. Look at him John! Oh and his smile! How old is he? He's surely still quite young." "Yes, he's five and a half months old." Ryan seemed to really appreciate all the attention, because he had a huge smile on him that reminded me of someone, but I couldn't put the name of the person.

An hour later, when everybody left. I was just preparing to go to bed. Outside just started a storm, it there was a lot of wind and it was raining cats and dogs. I went to check on Ryan when I heard glass shatter and some noises. Then it was quiet again and suddenly I heard a vase break. _'Oh god, what's that. Have the murders already found me?'_ I slowly tried to go without a sound to my room, because earlier I found a baseball bat in my closet. I took the bat and slowly walked down stairs. The sound now came from the kitchen. I tried to see something, but I couldn't. Then I risked walking into the kitchen and when something jumped at me I screamed.

**Thank you all for reading the third chapter. I hope you liked it and please review. But what do you think? Who's the person Elena (now Alexis) is thinking about? And what or who jumped at Elena?**


	4. Chapter 4

**-Disclaimer- I don't own TVD or any of its characters. All rights belong to the owners. AN: I actually thought I would abandon this story, but while I wrote some other chapters, for other stories, I got an idea. So now I'm basically trying to make that idea work.**

* * *

_*Last chapter*_

_An hour later, when everybody left. I was just preparing to go to bed. Outside just started a storm, it there was a lot of wind and it was raining cats and dogs. I went to check on Ryan when I heard glass shatter and some noises. Then it was quiet again and suddenly I heard a vase break. __'Oh god, what's that. Have the murders already found me?'__ I slowly tried to go without a sound to my room, because earlier I found a baseball bat in my closet. I took the bat and slowly walked down stairs. The sound now came from the kitchen. I tried to see something, but I couldn't. Then I risked walking into the kitchen and when something jumped at me I screamed._

_*End of last chapter*_

Elena's P.O.V.

I don't know how long I screamed until I realized that what had jumped on me was a simple cat. The cat had probably entered the house, after the branch had broken the window and the vase just in front of the window must've fallen then. I quickly took the cat in my arms and tried to calm it down, it was all wet and I felt sorry for that poor animal. Thankfully my screaming hadn't woken Ryan and I decided to go back to sleep. I would let the cat sleep in a basket with some blankets and tomorrow morning I would start to search for his or her master.

I had just prepared the basket and all, when I heard loud knocking on my backdoor. I was so frightened, that I nearly let my mug fall on the floor. _'Who could this be?... Shit! They've found me!'_ I screamed in my thoughts and quickly grabbed the phone. Grabbing a knife and putting my finger on the call button, I made my way towards the backdoor. Thankfully it was not completely made of glass and the police had put curtains and security cameras. I then went quickly over to the hidden cabinet in the kitchen and opened it. Inside were the screens of the security cameras and suddenly I wasn't sure if I had closet the door or not. 'Always check twice…' I told myself and concentrated on the screens.

While I studied the screens, I noticed that there was one man standing in front of the door. For a moment I looked away from the screens and quickly noticed that the knocking had stopped. He was still standing there, not moving, he was simply waiting. _'One guy… That shouldn't be too much of a problem to handle… But what if he's a Vampire?...'_ I suddenly thought and my fear grew as I didn't know if the house was in my name or in someone else's. _'Why shouldn't they put my name on it?...I'm living here after all…_' I tried to convince me, but failed miserably. _'Why would they, on the other hand?... It would be a complete waste… Oh no!... They probably didn't!'_ That was the last thought I had before the doorknob started to move. It turned from one side to the other, I couldn't go move around as the door was, thank god, closed. _'That was really luck…'_ I thought with a moment of relieve, but my fear swiftly came back.

While my panic started rising, I looked around for a possible hiding spot. I then found the little storage room, just next to the backdoor. From there I would be able to see the intruder, but he wouldn't see me. I could watch him through the little holes and decide if I wanted to act or not. And without waiting any longer, I quickly ran into that closet and kept as calm as possible. Seconds later I heard the doorknob getting ripped out or broken and seconds later the door opened, blocking my view only for some seconds, before the person closed it right back. _'He probably doesn't want anyone seeing him, when he's going to kill me…'_ I thought and really had to keep my panic under control, as the person turned his head only for a second. Instantly I stopped breathing, but didn't stop looking through the holes in the closet. I tried to see his face, but I couldn't it as the shadows were hiding it. '_Just like in horror movie…'_

The person didn't wait any longer and continued into the hallway. There he had apparently discovered the door, which led to the cellar and was currently… listening inside? _'A normal person wouldn't do that… A normal person would look inside… Oh my god!... The person must be a Vampire or …something else…'_ I realized and gently placed the knife on the shelve next to me. It was dark in this closed and I couldn't see much. There was a heavy vase in a corner, some brooms, cleaning products and some light bulbs. 'Of course there wouldn't be anything useful…' I thought, while I saw the probable Vampire close the door again.

He suddenly stopped in his every movement and looked at the staircase. '_No, please! I can't let him go upstairs… Ryan is defenseless!_' I thought and crawled over to the vase. It was heavy, but I knew I would be able to lift it. Looking one last time back at the vase and the guy, I quickly took the vase and opened the door of the closet. I took step after step, hoping he wouldn't hear me. I was sure that the Vampire wouldn't be able to smell me, as I had sprayed a lot of perfume in the early in the hallway. I had had to do that, since there was a horrible smell coming from the ventilation.

Before another second passed, I lifted the heavy vase and let it shatter over his head with all the force I could pull together. I knew that it wouldn't keep him out for long, but at least some seconds. Not waiting to check if he was really knocked out or not, I sped up the stairs into Ryan's room. Just as I opened the door I saw him opening his eyes. I quickly locked the door and went to get Ryan out of his crib. I then let myself down, leaning against the wall and simply held Ryan against my chest. Ryan quickly seemed to realize that something was wrong, as he didn't want to hold still. "Shhh… Ryan, shh…" I tried to sooth him, while I heard the steps crack under the weight of the Vampire.

I don't know how I was able to do it, but I was able to stay calm enough to have some rational thoughts. Ryan was now starting to cry, I knew that the Vampire had already heard us and that he knew where we were, so there was no point in silencing him. I just tried to calm him down and make him alright. Soon after the floorboards in front of the door cracked and the doorknob started turning, but as the door was looked it couldn't go far. Suddenly the turning stopped and for a moment the world seemed to stop turning. There was absolutely no sound, Ryan had stopped crying and I think I even stopped breathing.

For a millisecond I thought that everything was finished, that it was just a bad dream I was just having, that I would soon wake up. But the next moment I knew that it was the cruel reality, that I wouldn't soon wake up to find myself in my comfy bed at home, in Mystic Falls. The door flew into the opposite wall and in the doorway stood the Vampire. As soon as the door crashed into the wall, Ryan began crying. If I hadn't been in such a stance of panic, I would've tried to sooth him, but I couldn't seem to move. My eyes were locked on the Vampire. His face was still in the shadows, meaning I still couldn't see it, but this time I could see what he was wearing. He was wearing a dark grey suite, with a blue shirt and the top button of it was open. He had shoes of the same color as the suit, all in all he was perfectly dressed for a banker or something. There was not one imperfection… Well expect for the white crumbles on his shoulders and I was sure there was some in his hair too.

'_He looks like…'_ I was thinking and just as he took a step forward I recognized him. "Elijah…" I whispered and again the world seemed to stop turning, as I watched him looking and me. He was studying me from head to toe, that's when his eyes caught sight of the still crying Ryan. As soon as he looked at Ryan, a sudden urge overcame me and I put my arms more around Ryan protecting him from Elijah's sight. This movement seemed to have gotten Elijah out of his thoughts. He stood up more straight, if that was even possible and cleared his throat. "Katherine, or should I call you… Alexis?" He said coldly, with some mocking and looked back at me. I stood up and straightened as well, making sure Ryan was okay, only then did I answer Elijah's question. 'Not again! When will this finally stop?!' I asked myself and had to hold back some pretty intense curses.

"Elena. You can call me Elena." I said trying to hide my annoyance and slight fear in my voice. At that Elijah looked really shocked for an instant, but he quickly put back in place his unreadable expression. "What are you doing here?" I asked him and not moving from my spot and not changing my tone. "A friend told me he had seen the doppelgänger, but I did not expect to find you, Elena." He said a bit more friendly and put on the light. He then looked around and nodded, before he looked back at me. "Nice room." He simply said and sat down in the rocking chair, which is in one of the corners of the room. "Thanks…" I laughed a bit on the borders of my still present fear. "But you didn't just break into my house, to tell me that this room was nice, didn't you?" I asked, thankful that Ryan had stopped crying. Ryan had discovered a long strand of my hair and was playing with it, gurgling from time to time.

"No, I didn't. I originally came here to get Katherine, since my friend mentioned he had seen a doppelgänger and I was nearly sure that you were still in Mystic Falls with your friends and family, I thought it couldn't be anyone but Katherine." He said and continued studying Ryan. "Well perhaps you should check your information's next time, before you act on them. You do know that because of you I have to broken doors, a wall with a lot of damage and a broken vase." I accused and shot him a glare. Elijah then swiftly stood up and trapped me in a corner. "Careful, Elena. Do not forget who you're speaking to and besides… You were the one who broke the vase." He said and stood back. As soon as he had stepped a bit away he seemed to realize what he had just done and I could see something in his eyes, but it was quickly gone as he began giving glares in Ryan's direction. _'He mustn't like crying children…'_ I thought before I turned my attention to Ryan.

"It's alright, Ryan… Shhh, calm down… We're all okay… It's all okay…" I whispered into his ear and rocked him, trying to make him stop crying. When it came to children I was always unsure of what to do. The children themselves either loved me or hated me, there was no in-between. And when Jeremy was smaller he was always crying, mum had said he was crying because of his stomach cramps and so I always went to Caroline's or Bonnie's, since I really didn't like children crying. I remember I had always been happy, that I had to stay seldom alone with Jer when he was crying. Mum had always been there and she had always known what to do.

Now I was alone, responsible for baby and I had no one to help me. Something inside me told me to follow my instincts and so I gently rocked him and whispered into his ear over and over again. I didn't care that Elijah was still in the room watching me, I didn't care that he had seen my fear… All I cared for was Ryan, his wellbeing and his safety.

I don't know how long it took me to calm Ryan down, but once he had stopped crying, I continued to hold him and to calm him. Soon after I noticed that he had fallen asleep in my arms and I couldn't keep down the smile I had, while I watched him sleep. That's when I remembered where I was and who was next to me. So I quickly put Ryan into a portable crib and lifted it. _'Wow… That's heavier than I thought… How can women carry this around all day long?'_ I asked myself while I quickly walked out of the room, not carrying to say something to Elijah. I then walked to my room and placed the crib on my bed, making sure it couldn't fall down and that Ryan was warm enough. Once I had all checked it, I put the baby phone, which I had taken with me, on the nightstand and attached the other to my pajama pocket, before I walked out and closed the door behind me.

I nearly screamed, when I turned around and Elijah was standing directly behind me. '_Was he the entire time behind me?...'_ I wondered while I tried to calm down my heartbeats, not an easy task after this entire evening. "I think we have to talk." Elijah stated and frowned at the pajamas I was wearing. I was wearing an old, navy-blue shirt of my dad, which was way too big for me, and an as trousers I had trousers with Superman's logo all over them. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Okay, but not here. Let's go downstairs." I whispered and didn't wait before I walked into the living room.

The way to the living room, seemed the longest I had ever taken. There was a silence, you just couldn't describe it with words. Together with my mixed feelings about this situation and the evening's event, it was just uncomfortable. Once seated I mentioned for Elijah to speak. I was maybe a bit unfriendly, but when someone breaks into your house in the middle of the night, scares everyone who's inside and sees' you in your pajamas, especially if it's someone who you haven't seen in over a year and if it's someone you're not particularly close… You just can't stay socially correct and friendly. "The child… Whose child is it?" He asked after he had stopped himself, to rephrase what he wanted to say. "I don't know." I said and after I saw his momentary shocked looked, I quickly realized what he must've been thinking.

"No! Elijah…" "I'm not judging you, Elena. It's your life…" He said interrupting my explanation. "No… What I wanted to say, is that Ryan is… not my child." I explained and looked into Elijah's eyes. "But… Why is he here?" He asked and raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner. "He's part of the reason why I'm here and not in Mystic Falls… About two nights ago, I was… the… witness of a murder." I said, but had to stop when the terrible image of the crime came into my mind. "A murder? In Mystic Falls?" Elijah questioned and leaned slightly forward, a sign that he was quite interested in my tale. "Yes, in the woods of Mystic Falls to be precise… I was walking around and I suddenly heard strange sounds and noises… When I arrived at the origin I discovered a body lying on the ground and a bit further away… Ryan. But we, I, wasn't alone. There were two men… The murderers… They saw me and…" "You took the baby and these people are out trying to kill you. That's why you're under the police's protection and why you changed your name." Elijah finished and all I could do was nod.

After that Elijah sighted heavily and tussled a bit his hair with his hand. He really seemed to be preoccupied, but there was something behind his entire posture. It was as if he was already overthinking something, weighting options and other things. _'I wonder what he's thinking about… He really seemed tormented…'_ I thought while I observed Elijah. "Well… I can arrange a plane to depart in about an hour, maybe less… You don't need to pack anything." Elijah said and pulled out his cell. "Stop, stop, stop! What are you talking about?" I asked, once I was able to interrupt him. _'What was he talking about? A plane? Packing?' _I wondered and gave him another questioning look.

"To go somewhere where you can be in security." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But I am already in security, am I not?" I asked him, suddenly feeling frightened again. "Of course not, Elena! If I was able to find you in about two days, without searching for you… think about it! No, I can't let you here knowing that two are trying to kill you. I will not do that!" Elijah finished more loudly and got up, pacing around. _'That's an Elijah I really don't know… '_ After some time of reflection, I had made up my mind. Elijah really had a point, he had found me not really wanting to… Besides, now I hadn't to look only for myself, but I had the responsibility for a child too.

"Alright… If I come with you, what do I have to do?" I asked him and again I had, unwillingly, succeeded in shocking him. "I did not think I would be able to convince you so fast, but that's to my great pleasure. As for your question… Nothing. I promised to protect you and again I failed miserably." Elijah said and was able to shock me. This time it was Elijah who succeeded in shocking me, as I had never had the impression, that he had failed me. "Elijah, you did not fail me. How would've you known, that I was in danger? You were gone since long." "Well, if that's all settled… We could leave, in about half an hour… Oh, I missed to tell you, that we're going to fly with a helicopter, not a plane." He clarified and took out his phone once again. _'What a scandal!_' I thought amused and walked upstairs to check on Ryan.

After a journey of about two and a half hours, we landed in front of a big mansion. It was on top of a hill surrounded by thick woods. I couldn't seem to stop admiring the beauty of it. "Elena, this is my house. You're welcome as long as you want to stay. Feel free to search the houses and the grounds, but don't go too far away… We never know when these… people might show up." Elijah said and led me towards the house. "Oh and before I forget it. Ryan can have his own room, but if you want we can put him in the same room as yours." "It's fine if he has his… as long as he isn't too far away. If that's possible, of course." I said and smiled towards him. "This was already arranged." He said and turned me around just in time for me to see the door open. And in the doorway stood my old 'friend' Rebekah. _'Hurray! It's so nice to see her…_' I thought with a lot of sarcasm and forced a smile.

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**What did you think?... I personally liked to write the part about the 'mysterious' person, who's entering the house. Anyway… I hoped you liked this chapter and please review to let me know what you thought. P.S.: I don't know when I'll update next time, but it certainly won't take as long as it did this time. **


	5. Chapter 5

**-Disclaimer- I don't own TVD or any of its characters. All rights belong to the owners and I'm sadly not part of them. Thanks so much for all your reviews, guys! :D **

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_*Last chapter*_

"_It's fine if he has his… as long as he isn't too far away. If that's possible, of course." I said and smiled towards him. "This was already arranged." He said and turned me around just in time for me to see the door open. And in the doorway stood my old 'friend' Rebekah. 'Hurray! It's so nice to see her…' I thought with a lot of sarcasm and forced a smile. _

_*End of last chapter*_

Elena's P.O.V. 

"Rebekah… How… nice to see you." I said and forced a smile in her direction. "Oh, please! Don't pretend you're happy to see me." Rebekah said mockingly and turned towards Elijah. "What is she doing here, Elijah? I thought you said you were going to get Katherine." Rebekah said accusingly and crossed her arms over her chest, blocking the door in the same process. "Rebekah, please. You could be a bit friendlier…" Elijah said disapprovingly and gave me an apologetic look. I only shrugged and checked on the sleeping Ryan. I was carrying him, but you couldn't see him as my large coat covered him too. "And yes I was out to 'get' Katherine, but there was a change of plan. Now will you let us please enter? We can speak inside…" Elijah said with some finality and Rebekah moved to the side with an annoyed look.

As soon as I had entered the house, Rebekah closed the door and gave me as many glares as she could. "You can hang up your… coat in the closet right next to you." She said coldly and pointed at a closed door before she walked down a large hallway. "Let me take your coat, Elena." Elijah said and extended his hand. "Thanks, Elijah." I quickly said and got out of my coat, trying not to wake Ryan's peaceful slumber. Thankfully he was sleeping like a rock and I could take it off without disturbing him. Once the coats were put in place, Elijah led me to the living room. There Rebekah was sitting and watching TV. Only now did she notice the bundle in my arms and her eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets, after she had heard some noises come from the bundle.

"That's… that's not a… baby, is it?" She asked in a fearful tone and stood up with wide eyes. '_Is she afraid of babies?_' I thought, but tried hard not to laugh. "Yeah, it's a baby. He's name is Ryan by the way." I answered and smirked in her direction. Would it have been possible, her mouth would've hit the floor by now. She kept looking at Ryan and back at me, over and over again. "You have a child!?" Rebekah shouted and before I could answer Klaus walked into the room. "Who has a child?" He asked biting into an apple. Rebekah seemingly not able to answer simply pointed in my direction and when Klaus spotted me he nearly dropped the apple. "Elena?" He asked in surprise and then settled his eyes on Ryan. Like I had done with Elijah before I quickly pulled Ryan more to me. "Klaus, Elena will be a guest for a certain while." Elijah simply said and let me back into the hallway and up the stairs.

We stopped on the first floor and Elijah led me to the end of another quite big hallway. There at the end were some double doors. He opened them for me and I was met by a gorgeous looking bed room. There was a big double bed, with curtains around it, facing the door and on each side of the bed were two large windows. I was sure that if it were day time that I would've had a beautiful view, but right now it was as dark as it could get. Turning back to the bed, I suddenly realized how tired I was, but I forced myself not to yawn and continued looking around. Before however I did so, I put the sleeping Ryan on the bed and made sure he couldn't fall down, even if he started moving around.

On each side there was a door, opening the first it led to a nicely looking bathroom. I had an own shower, bathtub, toilet and at the same wall as the bathtub was, there was a big window and through the dark I could see a pavilion. There were some lights in and around the pavilion, making it look like in a fairytale.

When I came back into the room, Elijah was waiting patiently next to the second door, which I hadn't opened it. "As you may have guessed it, this is Ryan's room… Unfortunately we did not have time to prepare anything; we don't even have a proper bed for him… Tomorrow we can go and get a bed for him, if that's fine with you." Elijah said and again I was completely shocked. I couldn't believe how nice Elijah was. The past few days I had been extremely emotional and so I wasn't surprised to feel a tear descend my cheek. "That's… I have no words to express my gratitude, Elijah. That's just… so nice of you. And don't worry; I'll take Ryan to me to night…" I said and smiled a full smile at him. It was the first real smile I had in days.

Elijah simply nodded and gave me on of his rare smiles and opened the room. The room was painted blue and there was a white commode on one wall. On the commode there were some sea shells, in different colors. Like in the other rooms, there was one big window on one end of the room and a second big window on the other. "This room was planned to become a bathroom, but we then decided on the other room, so… As you can see it's quite empty, but you can decorate it at your wishes…" He said and closed the door to the room. "Wow… I don't know what to say… It's just amazing, everything here…" I said sounding probably like some retarded as I kept saying the same things over and over again.

Elijah only chuckled and walked to the door leading to the hallway. "Elena, you have nothing to fear here. Do not fear Rebekah or Klaus, they won't do anything." He said and then came closer. "Besides Rebekah loves babies…" He whispered and chuckled again, surprising me with his rather carefree state. "Okay… Thanks. Uhm, Elijah?" "Yes, Elena?" "Where is the kitchen? Not that I'm hungry, but in the morning Ryan will surely be hungry and I don't want to wake the entire house." I said shyly and scratched my arm. "It's right next to the living room, you can't miss it. I think we have some milk in the fridge, if not you can call the number that is on the fridge. It is the gardener, he takes care of the house too and some other things." Elijah said and opened the door to the hallway. "I wish you a good night, Elena. Oh and if you search clothes… there are some in the closet. If not you can go and ask Rebekah for some. You're welcome to come down, whenever you want." He said and before he closed the door, I quickly ran up to him and gave him a slight hug, stepping back immediately. "Thank you, Elijah. For everything you've done." I said and Elijah only nodded with a shocked expression and closed the door.

Once the door was closed I led out a long yawn and rubbed my eyes, feeling completely exhausted. When the dark had come this evening I did not think I would have such an… adventure. I really did not expect to find Elijah, well he found me, but… I just hadn't expected all of that. It was true that I felt more secure in his presence, even if Rebekah and Klaus were here too. _'If live gives you Lemons… make Lemonade of them…'_ I thought remembering a sentence I had read on the internet and walked to the old looking closet. Opening it, I found many old dresses on one side, but on the other side were some newer things like jeans, t-shirts and a lot of other things. _'I wonder who they belong to… Perhaps Rebekah…'_ I thought and quickly pushed that thought aside opening a drawer. In the drawer were many socks of different colors and sizes. _'I don't need socks right now… But it never hurts to have as many socks…'_ I thought amused at some designs I saw and moved on the next drawer.

After a little search I had succeeded in finding the right drawer. I quickly put on my sleeping wear and went to take of Ryan's blanket. It was warm enough for him in that room so that he didn't need it. _'I wonder how he can sleep through all these things…'_ I wondered, while I made him comfortable on one side of the bed. I put as many pillows as I could find around him, to prevent that he could fall down. Once I was happy with my construction, I quickly went to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth.

Ten minutes later I was back in the room and ready to sleep. I quickly turned off the lamps and lied down on Ryan's other side. The bed was so comfortable and I was so tired, that I instantly fell asleep into a nice dream.

*Some hours later*

I woke up panicking as I couldn't remember where I was. For a minute I was sure, that the killers had got me and that they had kidnapped me. I quickly checked myself for any signs for harm, but when I found none I sighted heavily and leaned back. As I turned around I was just in time to see Ryan waking up. He had still heavy eyes and he yawned, before he started rubbing his eyes. "Hey, Ryan." I whispered and gave him a light kiss on his forehead. He seemed to recognize his name and gave me a big smile. _'He must be hungry…'_ I thought and quickly got up to get dressed. After all, I couldn't just walk down stairs with my pajamas on… even if I was probably the only one awake since it was about five in the morning. _'Better not take the risk…' _

Once I was dressed I quickly picked up Ryan and together we went to the kitchen. It was a really big kitchen you'd expect in a five stars restaurant or something, but not necessarily in an ancient looking mansion. Especially if the household in question is full of Vampires. _'I wonder where they keep the blood…'_ I thought while I opened the fridge, but once it was open I had my answer. _'Well… That answers my question…_' I thought and put some blood bags aside to get to the milk.

I put the needed amount of milk and began heating it up. By now Ryan was fully awake and it was clear that he wanted his milk. "It's coming Ryan, its coming." I told Ryan silently and looked that the milk would not get too warm. After another ten minute everything was ready and Ryan could start drinking his milk. I was sitting in the kitchen, giving the milk to Ryan when Rebekah entered the room. In the back of my mind I was pretty sure that I would stay for quite some time here, so I could at least try to be friendly with Rebekah… even if my only wish was to get out of the room as soon as I saw her. "Morning, Rebekah." I said, but didn't force a smile like I did yesterday. "What are you doing up so early?" She asked and took out a blood bag and drank straight from it.

'_Morning to you too, Elena!'_ I thought and looked at Ryan, who was finishing his bottle. With all the Vampires I had been hanging around, I knew I shouldn't feel uncomfortable seeing them drink blood, but I guess this is something that I will probably always have. So I tried really hard not to show a disgusted face and answered her. "Ryan was hungry so I had to get up to prepare him something." I explained and once Ryan had finished the bottle, I went to rinse it. "He looks a bit like you." Rebekah suddenly commented and looked at me. "Really?" I asked perhaps a bit too astonished and looked closer at Ryan. "Why do you sound so surprised? He's your son." She said bored, but I could hear some suspicion in her voice. I laughed sadly and leaned against the counter, Ryan still in my arms.

"Ryan isn't mine, Rebekah. He isn't my son." I simply said and looked at her. She furrowed her brows in confusion and put down her now empty blood bag. "Seriously? I would've sworn he's yours… How come he is with you when he's not yours?" She asked, for a minute a bit nicer, but she then remembered with whom she was talking and went back to her bored and suspicious state. "I found him in the woods in Mystic Falls." I said and I suddenly had the impression to be back in the woods. "What were you doing in the middle of the night in the woods?" Rebekah asked interested and before I could answer there came another voice from the hallway. "I'd like to hear that too." Klaus said and entered the kitchen sitting down at the kitchen table. I took a deep breath to calm down and was about to answer, when Elijah entered the kitchen. _'What's wrong with that family and everyone being awake at five in the morning?!...'_

"I tried to lift my mind of some things… to simply think about some stuff." "We're not stupid… We know you were thinking about the Salvatore's." Rebekah said with a mocking undertone, that made we want to go up the walls. "I wasn't! Not everything always turns around them!" I said momentarily losing control. "Sorry, I didn't mean to… burst out like this…" I said after a long moment of awkward silence. "I was there in the woods, after I had heard some cries coming from the woods and so I decided to go and check the woods." "All alone?" Klaus interrupted asking and gave me a weird look. "Yeah… alone. Anyway once I was in the woods, the crying had stopped and I thought I could walk around, since I was already here and well awake. But after some minutes of walking I heard the cries again and once I came near the source of the crying I discovered Ryan and… his… probable mother. She was lying on the floor obviously dead and next to her were two men, the killers.

I… I could've ran away, but I couldn't leave… Ryan out there. So I hid myself and observed them for some minutes. As soon as they were a bit away from Ryan and me, I ran to him and took him. It didn't take more than some seconds before they discovered me and I had to flea through have Mystic Falls. I ran back to my house and packed everything, but before I could get away the police was on my doorstep. And that's how I landed in New York with a new name, house and… child." I finished my story and looked at each of them, but settling my eyes on Elijah.

Although Rebekah had only asked what I was doing in the woods in the middle of the night, I decided to tell them the entire story right away so that there wouldn't be any more questions about it. After a long moment of silence, they still hadn't said a word and I was beginning to worry. I really did not like these heavy silences… it just feels really… weird. "You know what you did, Elena, was very stupid… but brave." Klaus said with a acknowledging nod and opened the fridge to get a blood bag. "Yeah right…" Rebekah laughed and left the kitchen. "Klaus is right. It was a very brave and stupid move at the same time. You shouldn't take so much risk, especially if you're alone." Elijah continued and for a moment I felt as if I were punished by my father.

"I know, I know… and I won't do it again. I really don't have the wish to do so." I said and changed Ryan's position on my arm. That little man wasn't that light as he looked. "I'm going back upstairs to bath Ryan and get into other cloths." I said and walked in direction of the hallway, but before I could step out Elijah called and made me stop. "When you're finished, come into my study, Elena. It's at the other end of your hallway, we'll be able to talk about the things you'll need for Ryan." Elijah said and after I nodded, he too nodded and I left the room to take care of Ryan.

About thirty minutes later I was all dressed and Ryan was ready, just when I stepped back into my room, I saw the sun rise through the big windows next to my bed. The rising sun bathing the entire room into a red, orange and yellow light, before it blinded me for some seconds. I hadn't seen a sunrise in many years. The last time had seen one, was when I had went camping with Jeremy, mum and dad for my twelve birthday. It had been an amazing day and I would never forget it. Sighting heavily I picked up Ryan and walked to Elijah's study. I knocked once and when I heard my name, I opened it and went in.

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**I know this chapter was very short, but I hope you liked it. I had some trouble writing this chapter as I had a huge block on it, but in the end I succeeded in writing it and I wonder what you think of it. For the next chapter (I just wanted to warn you) to be publish, could go a little bit longer as I have many things to do for school and other stuff, so sorry about that. Please review and yeah… let me know what you thought :D **


	6. Chapter 6

**-Disclaimer- I don't own TVD or any of its characters. All rights belong to their respective owners; I only have the rights for my OCC's. AN: I know I haven't updated in a while, but school was keeping me extremely busy and to make matters worse, I had a huge blocking on this story. So I hope you'll like this chapter and please review! **

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_*Last chapter*_

_The rising sun bathing the entire room into a red, orange and yellow light, before it blinded me for some seconds. I hadn't seen a sunrise in many years. The last time had seen one, was when I had went camping with Jeremy, mum and dad for my twelve birthday. It had been an amazing day and I would never forget it. Sighting heavily I picked up Ryan and walked to Elijah's study. I knocked once and when I heard my name, I opened it and went in. _

_*End of last chapter*_

Elena's P.O.V.

Elijah was sitting at his desk, leaning and studying over an old manuscript. Although he had said my name just some seconds before, he did not seem to realize and or acknowledge my presence in his study. I did not know what to do and I started to get extremely nervous and agitated.

'_Should I make my presence known? Should I clear my throat and show him that I'm waiting? Should I simply sit down and be quiet? Or should I leave again?'_ I asked myself while I looked nervously around, never moving from my spot.

Before I however had the time to make up my mind, Elijah looked up from his work and gave me one of his rare and genuine smiles. "Excuse me rudeness, Elena. I did not mean to make you wait or to not acknowledge you, but I recently discovered this manuscript and I'm completely mesmerized by it."

He explained and if you looked closely, you could see the passion he had for history shimmering in his eyes. There was a certain glint in his eyes and they seemed younger than usual.

Not that Elijah himself looked old, well he was maybe in his thirties when he was turned and in the ancient times you looked older faster, but that wasn't the point I wanted to get at. The point was that his eyes looked old.

They were tainted by all the years and horrors he had seen in his long, very long life. And from the little amount I knew of Elijah, I could tell that this little glint was something huge. It was something very rare and to be able to witness such a moment was precious to me.

"It's okay, Elijah." I said and felt even more nervous, because I was now standing like an idiot in the middle of his study. "May I sit down?" I asked tentatively and right away Elijah jumped up from his chair.

"Of course, dear Elena! I'm terribly sorry for my behavior. Have a seat, please." He smiled and got out a chair for me and pushed it back once I was seated, before he got back to his chair and sat down.

"Would you like to see the manuscript?" He suddenly asked and I was sure, that I had detected some joy or pride in his voice_. 'That man sure loves history… On the other hand, it would be kind of problematic if he wouldn't… with all his years and all…'_ I thought and nodded at Elijah's question in response.

He then quickly turned the manuscript in my direction, so that I could easily read it from my seat. Of course I couldn't read it; it was an ancient language full of unknown symbols. The symbols seemed very complicated to my eyes, but I was sure that Elijah could read them fluently without any problem.

The manuscript himself didn't look so old like the ones in libraries and museums. It looked somehow newer, but it was probably older than the ones there. This one was simply in a much better state and had been taken care of.

"It looks beautiful." I automatically said and it was really the truth. I loved history, had always been one of my favorite subjects in school, but with all the problems I had gotten with Vampires and Co, it had rapidly changed into a subject which gave me the worst grades. I didn't fail history, but that was only thanks to Alaric's help.

"That it really is." Elijah confirmed and looked appreciably down on it. "It is nearly as old as I am. Only one or two years younger and the previous owners had taken immense care." He continued and chuckled when he saw my shocked face.

"But let's change to some more important things right now." Elijah continued on and quickly put the manuscript in the safeties of his wooden drawer.

"Do you know what you would need for Ryan? I don't know much about the new items one would need in this century with babies. In my time it was much easier, you needed a bed, some close and that's all. People in this century are very… well they need a lot of things." Elijah said furrowing once his eyebrows at the thought of what humans 'needed' in my century.

"Well, I don't think there's too much I need. Many diapers, a bottle or two, proper baby food, a proper baby bed and some clothes for him. Some toys would be great to, since it helps them being occupied and all. I think that's about all… Well, that's what my mother had for Jeremy and me." I explained and mentally made a list of all the stuff I needed for him.

"That can be arranged of course and what about you?" He asked and leaned forward staring into my eyes. "Me? What do you mean by that?" I asked him truly confused.

"What do you need for your comfort here? I'd say you're staying here for a while, since I certainly won't let you out of my sight before we haven't cached these criminals." Elijah explained and I had to fight back one or two comments.

I didn't like for people to decide of things over my head, but in that case I really didn't have so much possibilities to say no. I had to look out for Ryan and I had promised him, that I wouldn't let him get harmed. "Oh, well… Just some clothes and some other small stuff." I said a bit awkwardly and looked down at Ryan, who was currently playing with a strand of my hair.

"Good, then if you want we could go and get this things right now or in some hours, it's up to you and the little Ryan." He said and smiled towards Ryan, who gave Elijah a big smile. "Well, I'm ready. We can go when you want to…" "Good let's go then." Elijah said and got up to help me get up.

Before Elijah could open the door of his office, I stopped him and scratched nervously my arm. "Thanks again, for everything you've already done. You don't know how much this means to me and of course I will repay you everything as soon as I can." I told him seriously, while looking in those beautiful eyes of his.

"Your most welcome, my dear Elena. And you don't have to repay anything, you are my guest here and it is my pleasure to have you both here." Elijah said and for a moment I was sure he wanted to say something else, but he held himself back and opened the door instead.

On our way to his car, we passed the living room, where Klaus and Rebekah were currently watching a new episode of Revenge. _'How matching… They sure know some tricks and more of Emily's books… But it's kind of sweet how they're spending time together… Like true siblings should… I miss Jeremy…'_ The thoughts suddenly came to my mind and I had to think of happier things as not to continue on this path. Elijah seemed to notice my discomfort and simple nodded towards his siblings, before he let me to a nearly hidden garage and opened the car door for me.

After some time of driving we arrived in front of a big mall. It was a really new one and everything was still shining and in a good state. The first stops in the mall were in the kids' store, where we bought some really cute clothes for Ryan.

While we were in that store, I nearly fell over I was laughing so hard. I had been holding Ryan, when Elijah suddenly called us over and when I turned around he was wearing a cute little giraffe bonnet and was making funny faces in Ryan's direction.

It was too much for me and I simply burst out laughing and couldn't seem to stop. Ryan was laughing too, but for me it was even funnier since you wouldn't imaging such an old and powerful Vampire wear such bonnets and pull faces at a little child. What I noticed too, was that all the patrons were exchanging chances and smiling in our direction. Even the seller was doing so and I couldn't help but wonder why.

It was truly confusing and in mostly every shop we went we got the same looks and smiles. But the best came, when we were in the furniture shops for children. We were just looking at a wooden crib, when an elderly woman came over to us.

"Oh, this is such a beautiful child! That smile and these eyes, truly the mother's." She said giving us all smiles and turned back towards Ryan. "Ah… and that precious little face, truly the father's! You know it's such a beautiful sight to see such a happy, young and beautiful couple… I'm sure you get to hear that often! Especially with such a peaceful child!" She continued and couldn't seem to stop admiring Ryan.

Of course I didn't miss to get her mention of Elijah and me being a couple, but for the time being I decided to ignore it, not wanting to make the old lady sad. I could see that Elijah didn't miss it either and when he heard it, he turned towards me and simply looked at me for some seconds before he turned back to the woman. He gave her a slight smile and thanked her, once she was finished, and we continued with our search.

But somehow I couldn't get back to concentrate on choosing a little crib for Ryan. The word couple kept coming back to the front of my mind and I couldn't help but wonder how it would be to be together with Elijah. He seemed to really like children, or he simple liked Ryan or he played as if he would like children, but anyway… I couldn't help but wonder if he had had children in his human life.

Of course there had been Tatia, but… thirty seemed to be already quite an age in that period and my curiosity only grew with every single thought I gave it. I decided to push that thought away for some time, but to ask him maybe once. "What do you think of this one?" Elijah suddenly asked and showed me a brown crib.

It was simple, had a touch of passed age, but I decided then and there that it was simply perfect. It would go great with the blue and white in Ryan's room. That was of course the official thought I told Elijah, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that I had wanted it for Ryan, because Elijah had chosen it.

Not that I'm completely smitten by him, no! Okay, I had some feelings for him, they were by now undeniable, but… that wasn't the reason why I wanted this crib and not another. I wanted this one; because we were allowed to stay in Elijah's mansion without any conditions without anything and so I decided that he had the right to choose something he liked. And at the end it wasn't such a bad idea, since I liked it myself.

So after three long hours in the mall, we had everything that we needed, even some groceries and we were walking back to the now fully packet car. It had been an amazing experience to spend the day with Elijah like this.

He seemed more carefree, not restricted like he always seemed when I had seen him in Mystic Falls. Also he was much more open then normally and had even told me stories from his past, like stories of his family, travels or simply of history.

And even I had to admit, that I had been for the first time in a very long period, completely carefree. Not once did I think of these nasty people who were chasing me, not once did I think of the home I had had to leave in such a rush and not once did I think of my estranged brother and friends. Today I had been able to really be myself, the one I had to keep away since my parents' death.

"Elena, we've arrived back." Elijah said from suddenly from next to me. The car door was open and when I looked outside I realized we had indeed arrived. _'How did I not notice the car stop?'_ I wondered while I got out of the car and closed the door. I then went to take Ryan out of his seat and together we walked to the mansion.

Once we were inside an idea, well it was more a question, popped into my head. "Elijah? Can I ask you something?" I asked, while we were walking to my room and Ryan's. "Sure, what would you like to know?" Elijah questioned and I opened the door for him.

"Well… do you guys actually eat? I mean like normal human food? Because… Well Stefan and Damon used to it, but they're also much younger than you all are…" I wondered out loud and placed Ryan in his new little crib. It looked really beautiful in that little blue room and instantly it made me think back at my brother's first room.

"We do enjoy the taste of food. Of course the food you call, fast food, is … well there's no other word for that… It tastes disgusting for us. Other dishes, homemade for example, taste mostly delicious. Why did you ask?" Elijah then asked me, letting some of his curiosity slip for an instant.

"You know since I already have to cook for Ryan and me… and since you so generously invited us here… I thought I could maybe cook dinners or something?" I asked him nervously and hoped he wouldn't start laughing at my attempt at repaying him somehow.

"Elena, I already told you. You are free to stay as long as you wish, therefor feel free to do and make whatever you wish. Feel yourself like at home, since who knows how long will have to find… you know who. And your idea sounds wonderful! But you do not have to do anything if you not wish." Elijah explained and after putting the last clothes in the closet, he turned towards me again.

"But it would be my utmost honor to taste your cooking…" He said and then left the room, but I was sure he had intended to say something else too.

I turned to Ryan and sighted heavily. How easy things were at that age, everything was new to discover and your only problems were to have enough food, sleep and love. "What do you think Ryan?... What did Elijah want to say?..." I whispered, because Ryan was falling asleep.

Deciding to take a hot, relaxing bath, I quickly took the baby phone and let the warm water submerge the luxurious bathtub. Normally I wasn't the type of person who loves bathes, but today I it felt amazing.

I could close my eyes and still feel the sun on my skin, warming it in the same process. I quickly let my thoughts drift away and soon realized that all the random thoughts which suddenly popped up, where thoughts of Elijah.

How he looked, how he walked, simply everything. A part of me knew, that I was steadily falling more for him, but another, bigger part of me, kept fighting the new feelings. This part of me, said that it was completely ridiculous. That first of all he couldn't be interested in me and second, that I already had Damon and Stefan.

And the thought of these two made my happy mood fall considerably. Of course they care for me and tried to help me, but what they didn't realize was, that they were completely suffocating me. They were doing too much and their constant fighting over me, was really not amusing.

In fact it made me feel guilty as hell and somehow it made me sad. I really didn't wish for them to grow apart, to fight over me and all the other stuff. I only wanted for them to get closer, to regain this precious brotherly bond and to stop worrying over me.

They were far better off without me, in fact everyone was. All I ever succeeded was bringing pain, suffering and misery. My brother didn't miss to point that out before he left… And perhaps I was really better off if I wasn't here anymore. If I'd simply die once and for good. Every problem would be solved, but I knew this was the easy way out and truth be told I wasn't ready to end everything right now.

Especially with Ryan in the picture I wanted to be here for him. I wanted to help him grow up, have a family, protect him and I simply wanted to be sure no harm would happen to him. This little charmer was now m only reason to continue fighting and to not give up. And I intended to make that job good, damn well to be precise.

Once the water turned colder, I quickly got out of there and dressed. Just as I was finished and was about to go to the kitchen, to start cooking, Ryan woke up. He was hungry and let me clearly know that he wanted his food now. So I took him down with me and placed him in his new chair, before I prepared his dinner.

While Ryan was eating I started to cook an old family recipe, which my mother and Jenna had always loved to do. It was nothing special, just a gratin, but it was really special and precious in my eyes. The recipe was in our family since generations and had always been passed from mother to daughter.

"What are you doing?" I heard Rebekah asked from the fridge and when I turned around to greet her, she was sure enough holding a blood bag.

"I'm cooking." I simply stated and turned back to my gratin, I was really not in the mood to get myself annoyed by Rebekah. "I can see and smell that, Elena. But what exactly are you cooking?" She asked annoyed and sat down in front of Ryan.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her making funny faces at Ryan and giving smiles. _'Ah… So Elijah really was right… She loves babies…'_ "An old family recipe, it's a gratin." I said my mood a bit more lifted, since I was able to see that little secret exchange.

After that she simply stayed quiet and continued to make Ryan laugh, it seemed that she had completely forgotten that I was in the same room, until I had to get Ryan's, now finished, dinner. Instantly she shot up and quickly put the blood bag in the trash.

She was about to exit the kitchen, but before she could I called her. "Rebekah… You know if… you want to play with Ryan… I'm sure he would love to. He really seems to like you." I said and stood my ground. If I was to stay here, I could as well try to get along with her. Even if that was only one sided.

"You would simply leave the child under my watch? You do realize that I don't like you and that I could use the child against you…" She said suspiciously and raised an eyebrow.

"I know that, yes. But I do know, that Ryan seemed to really enjoy pulling faces with you and right now my only concern is Ryan. Besides if you do anything to him, I will make you pay. And I have resources you don't even know of." I said completely serious and trying to get a menacing cold voice, while I smiled at the same time.

"You know you have some similarities with Katherine and Klaus… Always up to 'protect' the family… Well, then. I'll be around the house with, what was his name? Rain? Ryan? Ah, yes… Ryan." She said and was out of the room, before I even got the chance to say something else.

Her last comment, didn't leave me cold. Klaus really wanted to have his family protected, but he often went to extreme length and these were often backfiring. Even if I didn't like him and even if I didn't like his action concerning his family, I still had some really, really small respect for him. He would go to no cost to save his family and even if I would never admit it out loud,…. well that was something I admired.

Katherine… well, I didn't really know her. She seemed to be someone who really cared for her family, but she was always her first priority. Of course with all the enemies she made over the years, she wouldn't have survived that long without that priority.

Deciding to keep these thoughts in mind for another time, I turned back to the dinner and finished it. Twenty minutes later the dinner was ready and served. I was about to call them, well trying to get myself to call them, when Klaus entered the kitchen spotting the dinner on the table.

He gave me a questioning glance, but said nothing and simply sat down. Not wanting to stand awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen, I sat down as well and nearly jumped out of my skin, when some wine was poured into my glass from behind me.

I had been so lost in my thoughts, that I had missed Klaus getting up and pouring some wine in every glass. After I had found my voice again, I said a small thank you and simply stared at my plate. _'Can we start or are we waiting for the others to come?'_ I wondered, but before I could think some more about it Klaus stood up and walked to the entrance of the kitchen. "DINNER!" He shouted and sat back down.

Seconds later Elijah entered the room and sat down next to me, then came Rebekah with the happy looking Ryan. He was playing with one of his new toys and talked nonstop in his baby language. She put Ryan in his chair before she sat down as well.

"First of all, thank you Elena for that wonderful smelling dinner and…" Elijah started, but was interrupted by the slamming of the door. For the second time that evening I nearly jumped out of my skin, when Kol suddenly appeared in the kitchen.

"Fucking idiots! They think they can mess around with originals?! I swear I'm going to…" He rambled but stopped when his eyes landed on me. "What is she doing here?" He asked Klaus and gave him a strange look. "It's not one of my moves, ask Elijah." Klaus simply smirked and Kol turned to Elijah with a shocked face.

Turning to Elijah, Kol however noticed the playing Ryan at the table and his mouth nearly hit the floor. "What the hell happened? Why does she have a baby? Why is the baby here?" Kol continued rambling and continued staring at Ryan.

Out of instinct I leaned closer to Ryan, which gave me around of curious stares from the entire table, including Kol. "Kol, if you would please sit down… I'll explain you everything after dinner." Elijah said and motioned to the empty chair in front of me.

Before Kol however sat down, he went to the stove and took himself a plate and came back to the table. During the entire dinner, which was dead silent except for Ryan gurgling and laughing, Kol kept staring at Elijah, Ryan or me. _'That's so going to be another long night…'_

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**Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I know it was a lot of explaining and that kind of stuff, but the next chapter should be different. I'll try to update sooner, but I won't make any promises yet, as I'm not sure that I will be able to hold them. Anyway hope you liked this chapter and please review to let me know what you thought! :D **


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